Denham, Shark Bay, Peron Peninsula, Western Australia - Part 1

 Hi all, I hope you and yours are doing well. 

Over the last month or so I have been sharing some of our mid-west-coastal Western Australia caravan tour in August. If you missed and you would like to catch up, you can do that here - 

• Bullara Station Stay
• Coal Bay - What I discovered exploring Western Australia's coral coast
• Exmouth and the Ningaloo Reef

Today I bring you the next installment - exploring the Shark Bay area on the Peron Peninsula. Here is our map again to orientate yourself. The township of Denham at Shark Bay is located 822 kilometres north of WA's capital, Perth. You should allow a two day drive, stopping somewhere overnight on the way (perhaps Geraldton). 

We have been to Shark Bay several times - I can't believe I have never blogged about it before now! So this post will actually have some pics from several visits. 

About Shark Bay - Covering an area of more than 2.2 million hectares, it is one of the world’s greatest wilderness treasures.This westernmost part of Australia has a unique combination of wildlife, flora and stunning scenery unlike that found anywhere else. Shark Bay is actually two bays sheltered by peninsulas and a long island. The local Malgana Aboriginal people know it as Gutharraguda, meaning ‘two waters’.

The shoreline of Shark Bay has a ‘W’ shape formed by the Edel Land Peninsula and Dirk Hartog Island to the west, Peron Peninsula in the centre (where the township of Denham and the Monkey Mia Reserve is located), and to the east the mainland of Western Australia.  

But why is Shark Bay called Shark Bay? Shark Bay got its name from English explorer Willian Dampier during his second voyage to Australia in 1699. In his writings, he described catching numerous sharks, including one that was 11 feet long, leading him to name the area Sharks Bay. You can possibly see sharks from the lookout at Eagle Bluff. 

After our visit to Coral Bay, Exmouth and Bullara Station we travelled south stopping at Carnarvon and Wooramel Station overnight. Wooramel is a great place for a stopover if you are travelling north to south - no power, but there are hot showers, a cafe, and hot tubs! Also bird watching, walk and drive trails. Ask for a map when you book in. There are lovely camping spots by the river... which by the way is usually dry - it's what they call an underground river. 

The turnoff to Shark Bay is located at the Overlander Road House on the North West Coastal Highway, 693 kms from Perth. From here it is 139 kilometres to Denham. We were met with windy conditions, squally rain and only 13C driving in.  

On a previous trip we visited the Stromatolites at Hamelin Pool - 25kms from The Overlander Roadhouse. I am sharing images from that trip. 

Hamelin Pool - about  Hamelin Pool is home to the most diverse and abundant examples of stromatolites in the world. Also referred to as ‘living fossils’, stromatolites are living representatives of life before dinosaurs. The Stromatolites represent life on this planet between 3.5 billion to 700 million years ago when there was no other complex life on Earth.

Unfortunately cyclone Seroja in 2021 severely damaged the 200m boardwalk which gave visitors close up views of the stromatolites and is yet to be repaired.  The stromatolites are extremely sensitive to damage so visitors are requested to only view them from the land, which is unfortunately why my photos aren't very clear. 

While at Hamelin you can learn about the old Hamelin Pool Telegraph Station which was built in 1884.

The walk trail takes you past the old shell block quarry. Fragum cockles thrive in the hypersaline water. With no competitors or predators, the shells pile up, compacting and cementing into coquina, a soft limestone rock. 

From early to mid 1900s, blocks were cut from this shell rock, and used for building materials. You can see buildings in Denham built with these blocks. 

This is one of the buildings in Denham built from shell blocks 

85km from the Overlander roadhouse, is Shell Beach, where we had morning tea and walked down to the beach. Be sure to stop under the shelter to read the information boards where you will learn more about the shells and the super saline water. 

Honestly- this beach is all shells! 

Shell Beach-about -The beach at Shell Beach is made up of trillions of tiny shells from one type of animal, the Fragum cockle, which make up the beaches here and around L’haridon Bight. Deposits are 10 metres deep in places.

One of the characteristics that limits life in the waters is hypersalinity. As with Hamelin Pool, the combination of high evaporation and the Faure Sill  (a geological feature in Shark Bay, that is a shallow bank formed by seagrasses) limiting water flow, causes the water here to be twice as salty as the sea. The result is a lack of competition and predators for the Fragum cockle, leading to an incredible abundance of this one species.

Just south of Shell Beach is an electrified barrier fence stretching several kilometres across the narrow part of the peninsula. This fence is a vital part of Project Eden, a conservation project limiting feral animals on Peron Peninsula.

When French explorers Nicholas Baudin and François Péron visited Shark Bay in 1801 there were 23 species of mammals. Less than half of them remained in 1990.These local extinctions were due to habitat destruction and competition for food by stock and rabbits and predation by introduced foxes and feral cats. Project Eden was launched to reverse this ecological destruction.

Rehabilitation includes native animal breeding projects, the Government purchased Peron Pastoral Station in 1990 removing all the goats, sheep, and cattle, feral animal control (rabbits, foxes and cats), the construction of the electrified fence stopping more feral animals entering the Peninsula. You can read more about it at the link - Project Eden

Here is a pic of the electric fence. Where it crosses the road there is a metal grid for traffic, but which animals can't cross. 

Some history of Shark Bay - 

·        The area has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples, including the Malgana, Nhanda, and Yingkarta language groups, for at least 30,000 years.Traces of their long presence include ancient campsites, quarries, and other landmarks. 

·         1616: Dirk Hartog's landing is the first recorded European arrival in Western Australia. 

·         1699: English explorer William Dampier named the area "Shark Bay" after observing many sharks. He also made the first scientific collection of Australian plants. 

·         1801-1803: Nicolas Baudin led a French expedition that conducted scientific research and mapped large parts of the coastline. Many landmarks are named after Baudin and his crew. 

        You can learn more at the Shark Bay Discovery and Visitor Centre right in the centre of town. 

·   

A lot has changed in the ocean-side town of Denham since we first visited in 1986. Not so sleepy - lots more tourists! But there is plenty to do. There are hotels, caravan parks, cabins, a few shops, an excellent World Heritage Discovery and Visitor Centre, the Ocean Park Aquarium, boat tours, fishing tours, 4WD exploring, history, camping, beach fishing, walks, sunsets....

You can also visit the dolphins at Monkey Mia, go on a whale watching tour, and explore the Francois Peron National Park. 

We'll explore these on my next blog post. 

And of course a few wildflowers - I will attempt to identify them - I am not a botanist....

clockwise from top left - one of the Goodenias, possibly one of the Corchorus, one of the wild tomatoes or fire bush, one of the daisies, White Pigface, possibly Tamala Rose, Shark Bay Daisy, Green Mulla Mulla (Longtails), and in the centre possibly Tar Bush. 

More information at:

• Explore & discover World Heritage Shark Bay
• Shark Bay Discovery and Visitor Centre
• Discover Monkey Mia 
• Francois Peron National Park
• Shark Bay Eco-Tours
  
• Ocean Park Aquarium
  
• Greenpeace - welcome to Shark Bay
  

I think you have had enough from me today. 

Next time we will visit the dolphins at Monkey Mia, go on a whale watching tour,  drive out to the Peron Peninsula National Park, and walk on some beaches. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
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